Matt's DARKSTAR Lite

My friend Matt just finished his DARKSTAR Lite. It just needs to be clear coated, but even so it looks great as is! He has an Aeropack retainer for positive engine retention. He painted Berry Pink to please his wife, which in turn allows him to buy more rocket stuff.




He used 30 minute hobby epoxy for assembly and as far as fillets he just wanted very small ones. He still has to mount the rail buttons

Looks good!

Is there a band between the fins or just paint? Might be optical illusion or my eyesight, but it looks like a ridge / larger diameter there.

I like it.

Ain't nothing wrong with "pleasing the wife" when one gets the chance. Especially if it allows one to purchase more rocket stuff.

s6

cavecentral said:

Looks good!

Is there a band between the fins or just paint? Might be optical illusion or my eyesight, but it looks like a ridge / larger diameter there.

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It's just paint between the fins and also on the aft section of the air frame.

When Matt painted it he got a texture finish. He wet sanded the primer before he painted it, not sure why it turned out the way it did. At first I thought he wasn't close enough and then I spray painted a section and tried to wet the paint, but no luck. Does the fiberglass have something to do with it and does it need special prep? I know he spray the rocket with an adhesion promoter that he picked up at an auto body paint store. He did this before he sprayed the primer. I didn't see the primer finished before he painted it.

was the adhesion prep completely dry? and was it compatible with the primer and finish paint? I see Rustoleum for the Berry Pink, but what were the brands of the other two coats?
"completely dry" to me is when you cant smell any chemicals with the nose right up against the paint.

Salvage-1 said:

was the adhesion prep completely dry? and was it compatible with the primer and finish paint? I see Rustoleum for the Berry Pink, but what were the brands of the other two coats?
"completely dry" to me is when you cant smell any chemicals with the nose right up against the paint.

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I'm assuming it was? Not sure I didn't paint it. Do you really need an adhesion promoter?

I only use one with plastic, and not really anymore with the Rustoleum stuff bonding so well to plastic that is roughed up.
I have a couple of fiberglass builds that all I did was sand until i got to stupidly fine grit (newspaper?), one thin coat of primer and then went straight to color coat then clear.

wash in nice hot soapy water, rinse, sand with 400 grit(or perhaps I should say down to 400 grit), rinse, let dry. prime & paint. that is all you should need.
Rex